Dissemination Of Research Results Research Articles

Library Development in Uzbekistan: Progress and Problems since the Dissolution of the USSR

The paper is a report on the development and current state of libraries and information services in Uzbekistan. It was initially prepared as background for a project supported by the European Commission's TEMPUS programme that provided technical assistance for developments in Armenia, Georgia and Uzbekistan. The paper is based on a review of the published literature and data gathered during the implementation of the project, and addresses a wide range of issues that were encountered. It provides some background information on the country, the state of publishing and bookselling, and the dissemination of research results; briefly describes the development of libraries and information services, and professional education; outlines the international development assistance that they have received during the last twenty years; describes their current situation; and indicates some of their future needs. It notes that, while the activities of international governmental and nongovernmental agencies to offset the catastrophic effects of the disintegration of the centralized Soviet system may have lacked coordination, the national government of Uzbekistan appears to be taking a more strategic approach to the development of its library and information services.

The Sharing Partnership for Innovative Research in Translation (SPIRiT) Consortium: A Model for Collaboration across CTSA Sites

In 2006, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) created the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program to “transform the local, regional and national environment for clinical and translational science, thereby increasing the efficiency and speed of clinical and translational research.”1 Since then, 61 CTSA-funded sites have reengineered their local research enterprises to develop cadres of highly trained translational scientists and provide them with a robust array of research resources. Now under the direction of the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS), the maturing CTSA program is poised to enter its second stage of development to provide “institutions with greater flexibility and more opportunities to build on institutional strengths.”2 This approach is supported by a new CTSA Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) that will enable CTSA sites to develop programs to address the specific needs of their investigators and local communities. As a result, institutional CTSA programs will likely evolve from a model that provides a set of common research resources locally to unique programs with a mix of core infrastructure (e.g., training, informatics) that is supplemented by institution-specific resources (e.g., drug discovery, comparative effectiveness research, and research implementation and dissemination cores). Leveraging complementary institutional capabilities through closer collaborations between CTSA sites is the logical next step for the National CTSA Consortium. During the formative years of the CTSA program, several sites forged collaborations by creating regional consortia based on geographic proximity to enable sharing of local resources and meetings of trainees.3 For example, the Chicago Consortium for Community Engagement represents a collaboration among the three Chicago CTSAs to advance coordinated and synergistic approaches to developing community-partnered research, disseminating research results, and providing training in community engagement methods to collaborators in academic and community-based organizations. The Ohio Consortium of three CTSA sites implemented a statewide central institutional review board model. In Texas, several institutions meet to exchange best practices. However, collaborative efforts that are constrained by geographic location may limit the benefits that can be derived from linking scientists, institutions, resources, and innovative tools across an array of institutions with complementary capabilities. Accordingly, six geographically dispersed CTSA sites (Johns Hopkins University, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh, Washington University at St. Louis, Yale University) formed a “virtual CTSA consortium” based on a shared vision for data sharing and prior collaborations focused on informatics initiatives. The initial goals of the six-site Sharing Partnership for Innovative Research in Translation (SPIRiT) Consortium were 1) to develop a data sharing infrastructure for biospecimen-based research and de-identified clinical research data, and 2) to establish inter-institutional collaborations related to pilot studies, regulatory support, core laboratory facilities, and education and career development. Over the past two years, the SPIRiT Consortium embarked on several initiatives to achieve these goals, including the deployment of an informatics software and regulatory infrastructure to enable discovery and sharing of banked pathology specimens, development of an inter-institutional pilot study program to link investigators, and validation of a novel technology to improve the diagnosis of malignant melanoma. These programs are described below.

Cancer survivor rehabilitation and recovery: Protocol for the Veterans Cancer Rehabilitation Study (Vet-CaRes)

BackgroundCancer survivors are a rapidly growing and aging population in the U.S., but there are many challenges associated with the survivorship experience such as functional disabilities and psychosocial distress. When viewed next to the general population, Veterans are especially at risk for these challenges as they are older and have a high incidence of co-morbid conditions. While the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has called for further cancer survivorship research to address these challenges, we still know little about this experience from the perspective of aging Veterans.Methods/designWe conducted a longitudinal, mixed-methods study over the course of three and a half years at the Boston and Houston VA Medical Centers. We recruited 170 Veterans diagnosed with head and neck, colorectal and esophageal/gastric cancers that were identified from the VA tumor registry. Veterans completed three in-depth interviews, conducted at 6, 12 and 18 months after pathology confirmation, measuring the physical, social and psychological factors related to cancer survivorship. The longitudinal design allowed us to assess any changes in cancer related disability and distress over time.DiscussionWeekly teleconference study team meetings were a key aspect to the research process. Issues related to recruitment, data management and analysis, and the dissemination of research results was discussed. Interviewers presented detailed case reports of completed interviews that allowed us to refine our interview protocols. We also discussed issues relevant to the Veteran population of which we were previously unaware and some of the challenges of the research process itself. This novel study produced a robust data set that documents the functional and psychosocial cancer survivorship experiences of aging Veterans. The longitudinal design will help us more fully understand the recovery patterns for this specific population, and identify the unique needs and gaps in health services.

Ethics in Prevention Science Involving Genetic Testing

The Human Genome Project and rapid technological advances in genomics have begun to enrich prevention science's contributions to understanding the role of genetic factors in the etiology, onset and escalation of mental disorders, allowing for more precise descriptions of the interplay between genetic and non-genetic influences. Understanding of ethical challenges associated with the integration of genetic data into prevention science has not kept pace with the rapid increase in the collection and storage of genetic data and dissemination of research results. This article discusses ethical issues associated with (1) decisions to withhold or disclose personal genetic information to participants; (2) implications of recruitment and data collection methods that may reveal genetic information of family members; and the (3) nature and timing of informed consent. These issues are presented within the contexts of adult and pediatric research, longitudinal studies, and use of biobanks for storage of genetic materials. Recommendations for research ethics decision-making are provided. The article concludes with a section on justice and research burdens and the unique ethical responsibilities of prevention scientists to ensure the new genomic science protects the informational rights of participants, their families and communities.

New technologies: support opportunities for network research

The consolidation of a support area for network research, which promotes collaborative research, training and the dissemination of knowledge through the use of ICTs, requires the organization of a work methodology to share and exchange resources in a specific network that is already running. The establishment of communication mechanisms between researchers from different groups will be necessary along with the introduction of the ICTs in the teaching and advanced environments of research training, different inventories of the research resources that are available for exchanges and shared use between groups and laboratories, and finally, a shared scientific documentation system with the appropriate maintenance of the previously listed tools. Large administrative structures and detailed plans are not needed to comply with all of the above functions. The availability of effective tools, however, to combine efforts and search for resources in all of these areas is needed, with the agility and flexibility that allow us to currently use new communication and information technologies. The results of this research support area should lead to an increase in the efficacy and quality of the network by increasing the flow of information and the inter-group collaboration in teaching, research and professional development, along with the transfer and dissemination of research results.

Conditions Surrounding Publication Performance of Faculty Members of Two Selected Higher Education Institutions In Eastern Visayas, Philippines

In the Philippines, only a small percentage of research is published in scientific publications. This study aimed to find out the conditions surrounding publication performance of faculty members in universities in Eastern Visayas. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews from 16 respondents with high publication performance (HPP) and low publication performance (LPP) and through analysis of secondary data. Using the grounded theory approach, a theoretical model was generated. Results showed that the conditions leading to HPP were: (1) favorable research environment characterized by low workload in instruction, availability of funding support and research facilities, access to research mentors, and availability of publication incentives; (2) exposure to research during graduate and undergraduate studies; (3) strong peer influence; (4) positive attitude towards publication of research results; and (5) beliefs in the positive consequences of publishing. On the other hand, the conditions leading to LPP were: (1) unfavorable research environment characterized by high workload for instruction, lack of funding support and research facilities, and lack of access to research mentor; (2) academic background not research-oriented; (3) low level of peer influence; (4) negative attitude towards publishing research results; and (5) availability of other options to disseminate research results. Research findings imply that if given a favorable research environment, faculty members can be productive in research and publishing of research results.

Comparative analysis of health public policy research results among Mexico, Chile and Argentina

The purpose was to undertake a descriptive, quantitative comparative analysis of the production, visibility and online access to public health research results in the field of health public policy among Mexico, Chile and Argentina. A literature search in the field was conducted in MEDLINE (1966---2010) and LILACS (1980---2010) through BIREME's virtual health library. A bibliometric analysis was conducted to identify the type of documents produced, authorship, language of publication, check-tags, major subject content, journals used, and main participating institutions. Visibility was obtained through the identification of the document type used and the subject content, per database. Accessibility was limited to online full-text access. Only 6 (out of 30) health science descriptors under health public policy have emerged as relevant by all three countries in both databases; namely, health services accessibility; health care reform; decentralization; health systems; consumer participation and financing, health. References retrieved from MEDLINE corresponded to journal articles in all three countries. In LILACS monographs corresponded to over 40 %. Overall health public policy documents addressed adult female and male studies, with the exception of Argentina which addressed female and male children. Full-text accessibility was less than 25 % of total production. Health public policy research is in its infancy in Spanish speaking Latin America. While health care reforms have been implemented regionally in the last three decades, few (20 %) subject contents have been explored. Further research is needed to fill existing gaps; as well as bigger efforts to increase online full-text accessibility and dissemination of research results.

Analyzing the Performance of an Institutional Scientific Repository – A Case Study

Scientific knowledge evolution is mainly based on an effective dissemination of research results. The concept of Open Access gives us the theoretical foundation of a model for accessing scientific knowledge, free from the constraints of traditional publishing and technologically supported by the Internet.Institutional Repositories are information systems that allow preserving, storing and disseminating scientific knowledge produced in higher education and scientific research institutions. They increase the visibility and the citation level of the documents. They also contribute to minimizing negative aspects like plagiarism of content because documents are exposed to peers in real time.As an alternative way to the traditional system of publishing scientific research content, repositories are developed in a cultural climate of great visibility leading to an immediate critical evaluation by peers.The Scientific Repository of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco – Portugal (RCIPCB) was created in 2009 but its official presentation took place in January 2010. Its main purposes are promoting Open Access (OA), and preserving and disseminating the scientific knowledge produced at the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco (IPCB). Using DSpace as a technological platform, RCIPCB is an institutional project supported by the president of the IPCB.Therefore, the present study was developed with the aim of analyzing the performance of RCIPCB considering the evolution and growth in terms of users, archiving and self-archiving, the number of published documents (scientific) versus deposited documents in 2010 and the heterogeneity among communities/collections and its causes.Data were collected in RCIPCB, in the 2010 scientific publication list of the institute and through a questionnaire survey distributed among the members of the community with most documents deposited and those of the community with the fewest documents.For data collected in RCIPCB and in the publication list, average, standard deviation and counts were calculated. Data collected from questionnaires were analyzed with SPSS.The results show that RCIPCB indicates an asymmetric growing dynamics. Nevertheless, it reflects the institutional organization, in the sense that the communities related to the older schools possess more documents than the communities related to more recent schools. Communities having higher numbers of deposited documents seem to have also higher levels of searches and downloads. Therefore, it increases significantly the visibility of the institution and its researchers.Concerning the 2010 scientific production when compared with the deposit level of the corresponding community, the results show that the number of documents deposited is much lower than the number of published documents.Data obtained from the questionnaire answers from the communities The School of Agriculture (ESACB) and The School of Applied Arts (ESART) suggest that the strategy of communication used by RCIPCB is correct because everybody knows about the Repository. However, that is not related to the number of documents deposited. They also suggest that the strategy is not efficient and it needs some improvements in order to become effective.Considering the results it is clear that RCIPCB needs to have a mandatory depositing policy that might also be extended to user registration. Those factors would minimize both the heterogeneity and the asymmetric growth of communities and collections. Moreover, it would also decrease the difference between scientific production and the corresponding deposit in RCIPCB.

Open Access: European Commission, U.K. embrace policies to disseminate research results

The European Commission will require journal articles based on research funded through its Horizon 2020 program to be accessible for free either online immediately upon publication or in a repository after a six-month embargo period (12 months for arts, humanities, and social sciences). Horizon 2020 is the EC’s research and innovation grant program for 2014–20. The announcement, on July 17, came just one day after the U.K.’s seven government-funded grant agencies, known collectively as Research Councils U.K., adopted a nearly identical open-access policy. That policy will apply to publicly funded research in the U.K., beginning with papers submitted in April 2013. When an author pays a fee for immediate open access, the U.K. policy requires the author to get a liberal publishing license. The license allows others to modify, distribute, and build upon the work, provided they credit the original author. The EC encouraged all other member states to take ...

La Colección Ictiológica del Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas del IPN 1993-2011; consolidación y sistematización del acervo

We documented the actions and achievements of the Ichthyological Collection (CI) of the CentroInterdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CICIMAR- IPN) during the last 18 years. In this period, the biological inventory was depurated, nomenclature was updated, and a digital database was developed and published online. Actions in the field of human resource training, lecturing, scientific research, extension and dissemination of research results are given in detail. The role of collections is discussed as wellas the current tendencies of the dissemination of scientific information from data bases.

Your Choice for Peer-Reviewed, Patient-Centred Clinical Content

Thank you to all the pharmacists who participated in our recently conducted readership studies. Publications like CPJ undertake this type of research periodically to assess how well we're meeting our readers' needs and to solicit ideas for future content. Respondents found CPJ to be the superior Canadian pharmacy publication for in-depth clinical content, dissemination of research results and our specialty, clinical practice guidelines! On behalf of our authors, reviewers, editorial board members and staff, I'd like to pass along a huge “Thank You” for that vote of confidence. In this issue, you'll find more of that great content, including a clinical review of a novel anticoagulant agent (see page 83), a discussion of the latest Hypertension Guidelines for Pharmacists1 (which incidentally was the most viewed article on www.cpjournal.ca in December 2011) (see page 66), and more of the Canadian pharmacy practice research that you'll only find in CPJ. You may ask why the publication of this research is important (or why you should care about it at all!). Our feature article on the BC pharmacy adaptation program (see page 78) provides a perfect answer. It's a prime example of high-quality research into the value of pharmacist interventions, which once validated and disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication process, provides the credible evidence needed for advocacy and reimbursement discussions with governments and other third-party payors. In other words, it's an academic exercise with a very practical (and necessary) application for pharmacists expanding their scope of practice for the benefit of patients. We recognize that many of our readers are clinicians, practising under ever-increasing time and patient-load pressures, and therefore needing concise, practice-relevant information presented in an easy-to-use format. With that in mind, we hope you'll appreciate some of the updated visual elements included in this issue — designed to make it easier for readers to get to the key points or practice-relevant highlights of each article. For those who prefer to access information digitally, we encourage you to visit our fully searchable, open access online edition at www.cpjournal.ca. If you haven't visited the site recently, make sure to check out the web exclusive and early-release articles and other online-only features. You can also join our online discussions and access even more content by following us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cpjournal and Twitter @CPhAAPhC#cpjournal. Let us know what you think of this or any issue — your feedback is always welcome! Contact ac.stsicamrahp@neellikr.

Introducing Worm

In 1963 Sydney Brenner proposed to study the development of multi-cellular organisms using a genetic approach in a simple animal. He settled on a small, transparent nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, which develops quickly and is anatomically simple with less than a thousand somatic cells. Almost half a century later there are many more researchers studying C. elegans than there are somatic cells in this animal and the areas of research have expanded to cover many aspects of cell and developmental biology, behavior, physiology and more recently evolutionary and population biology. Pioneering studies have led to Nobel prizes for six C. elegans researchers in the last decade, illustrating the importance of the discoveries made by studying this relatively simple metazoan. C. elegans researchers have always maintained a strong sense of community and this collegiality is also visible in the collection and dissemination of research results. Wormbase, the main database integrating molecular, genetic and phenotypic data on genes and genomes, has a long history of collecting and presenting data contributed by researchers independently of official publications. This information-sharing spirit is also apparent in the “Worm Breeder’s Gazette”, which provides an informal way to report a variety of interesting results without official peer-review process. Despite this collective intelligence, the current size of the worm field makes it difficult to keep up with all the information. More and more interesting findings never make it into official publications, in part because it can be frustrating to see a manuscript through the publication process. This new journal can help to reverse this trend, insuring that information gets out to the community in a timely manner. Worm aims to provide a straightforward and quick publication process. Editors and reviewers are active researchers of the same model organism with an intimate knowledge of its advantages and limitations at the experimental level. Time and again, discoveries from nematode researchers have implications for other researchers working on a seemingly unrelated question. Worm invites submissions from all areas of research using C. elegans and other nematodes. Sometimes results are intriguing, but do not provide immediate “mechanistic insights”. Nevertheless they might be of immediate interest to the research community. Worm offers the opportunity to submit such results as short communications. More and more studies now cross the borders of traditional disciplines, so that they might not be suitable for topic-oriented journals. Worm offers an opportunity to present exciting results irrespective of the topic of research. Worm also publishes techniques or methods papers of relevance to nematode researchers. While C. elegans currently is the most prominent nematode, it is certainly not the only one studied. With more and more genome sequence information available, research on other nematodes is likely to expand even further. We encourage all nematode researchers to consider Worm as a journal for the dissemination of their discoveries. We are optimistic that this journal will provide a place for nematode researchers to submit some of their most interesting findings. I hope you will enjoy the first issue and keep this journal in mind not just as reader, but also as author.

Promoting New Research Results by an Open Access Journals– Faster Dissemination of Research Results and More Chance for Feedback to their Authors

Promoting New Research Results by an Open Access Journals– Faster Dissemination of Research Results and More Chance for Feedback to their Authors

Experiential Learning in Graduate Education: Development, Delivery, and Analysis of an Evidence-Based Intervention

Certain expectations are outlined for a young professional with a recently earned doctoral degree. In academia, it is anticipated that graduates will demonstrate the ability to obtain funding, actively engage in an interdisciplinary work environment, and value experiences with critical thinking and problem solving. This paper outlines a unique learning experience of five graduate research students who progressed from the initial stage of research question conceptualization to dissemination of research results. The process included a written research design proposal, grant review process, physical activity program development, intervention delivery, data analysis, and publication of findings. Challenges overcome by these young investigators throughout the research process (i.e. intervention recruitment, development and delivery) are included within the manuscript, as well as other important findings from this process evaluation. The first-hand account of their learning experiences demonstrates the value of promoting internal competition (i.e., within a department, college, university), while working as a collaborative research team to prepare graduate students for ‘real-world’ research and work-related scenarios. Graduate student faculty mentors should incorporate more opportunities for their students to glean research experience described here.

The Importance of Being Negative

The Importance of Being Negative

Trends in anemia management in lung and colon cancer patients in the US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2002–2008

In 2007, growing concerns about adverse impacts of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) in cancer patients led to an FDA-mandated black box warning on product labeling, publication of revised clinical guidelines, and a Medicare coverage decision limiting ESA coverage. We examined ESA therapy in lung and colon cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in the VA from 2002 to 2008 to ascertain trends in and predictors of ESA use. A retrospective study employed national VA databases to "observe" treatment for a 12-month period following diagnosis. Multivariable logistic regression analyses evaluated changes in ESA use following the FDA-mandated black box warning in March 2007 and examined trends in ESA administration between 2002 and 2008. Among 17,014 lung and 4,225 colon cancer patients, those treated after the March 2007 FDA decision had 65% (lung OR 0.35, CI(95%) 0.30-0.42) and 53% (colon OR 0.47, CI(95%) 0.36-0.63) reduced odds of ESA treatment compared to those treated before. Declines in predicted probabilities of ESA use began in 2006. The magnitude of the declines differed across age groups among colon patients (p = 0.01) and levels of hemoglobin among lung cancer patients (p = 0.04). Use of ESA treatment for anemia in VA cancer care declined markedly after 2005, well before the 2007 changes in product labeling and clinical guidelines. This suggests that earlier dissemination of research results had marked impacts on practice patterns with these agents.

Key Activities of the EMBS [President's Message

EMBS sponsors three key activities: 1) conferences, 2) publications, and 3) member services. In this column, I would like to focus on our conference activities overseen by the Conference Committee and chaired by VP for Conference Activities Dr. Nigel Lovell. The primary goal of our conference activities is to provide effective forums for our members and the broad biomedical engineering community to disseminate research results, learn about the latest developments in the field, and meet colleagues from other institutions.

Reading Habits and Attitudes of Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Services Professionals

This study examined recent reading practices and beliefs of parks, recreation, and leisure services professionals. For many years, faculty members have engaged in informal discussions at professional meetings and in journals about the need to bridge the gap between academicians and practitioners in terms of moving research findings into practice. At present, the primary methods for disseminating research results are through publication (in journals) and conferences (research symposia). While direct assessments have not occurred, academicians often wonder who is reading the research journals. The purposes of this study were to: (1) determine how often respondents read which periodicals, (2) ascertain reading frequencies of specific journal content, and (3) examine respondents' attitudes toward the publication and dissemination of research. After sending electronic surveys to 2000 NRPA members, 850 practitioners and academicians supplied usable data. A large majority of respondents rarely or never read research-based periodicals; the most frequently read journal among all respondents was Parks & Recreation Magazine. The most common types of information read by respondents were professional issues, full-length articles, and legal issues columns. The majority of respondents agreed that research articles should include a section about implications for practice, and that practitioners should read research to stay current in the field.

The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fearby MnookinSeth. New York, Simon and Schuster, 2011, 448 pp., $26.99 (hardcover).

The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fearby MnookinSeth. New York, Simon and Schuster, 2011, 448 pp., $26.99 (hardcover).

Evaluation of a Required Senior Research Project in a Doctor of Pharmacy Curriculum

To characterize the dissemination of study findings and assess project preceptor attitudes towards a required senior research project in a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum. A survey was conducted to determine preceptors' perceptions of the value of a required pharmacy student research project and dissemination of research results. One hundred fifteen project preceptors (92.0%) responded. Most preceptors agreed that the projects provided a valuable learning experience to the students (87.5%) and were of value to them professionally (82.1%) and to their institution (78.2%). Study findings were disseminated primarily through institutional forums (47.3%). A smaller percentage of projects were disseminated externally through presentations at professional meetings (23.7%, poster presentations; 4.0%, platform presentations), and peer-reviewed publications (5.3%). Despite a modest level of dissemination of project results through presentations at professional meetings and a low level of dissemination via published manuscripts, the majority of preceptors perceived a required student research project to be of value.